Author: Oana

Supporting The Young Emergent Writer

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Emma is now 6 and in her second year of primary school education. She can read simple books and writes about everything that entertains her imagination, using phonetic sounding. Although Emma is confident in both her reading and writing, her school and lovely teacher encourage learning reinforcement at home and this is something I really believe in. Having worked for years as a substitute teacher in numerous schools in Northern Ireland and as a special needs classroom assistant for a short spell last year, I know the amazing difference educational support at home can make. I have always encouraged Emma to appreciate books and the house is coming down at the moment with information books which are appropriate for her age. Her mind is like a sponge and she can retain impressive detail and information about everything, so we are nurturing her thirst of knowledge by always reading with her or listening to her read to us. Her favourite series is the Wonderwise Collection, which we got from The Book People for £14.99 last year. …

Trespass family

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If you read my blog regularly, you know that last year, Trespass invited us to work with them as ambassadors and I got to enjoy their great walking boots. This time, they asked me to pick a winter jacket and since I had several long ones, I went for Release Women’s Padded Casual Jacket, a shorter one, perfect for school runs and crisp winter days. I took my time choosing it as although I wanted a lighter jacket, I still needed it to be able to keep the heat in on blustery days but not overheat me when going into shops in  a rush to grab a pint of milk or bread for the morning. Using coldheat insulation, the Release prevents your body heat from escaping and locks it between the surface and interior where it can be used to stream you warmth without the need of warmer external temperatures, so it was exactly what I was looking for. As soon as it arrived, I loved the soft shelling and the weightless feel and couldn’t …

Brave New Dreams

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Once in a while, the subject of locational change comes into conversation in our household. As you may know, we are a Greek and a Romanian who have been living in Northern Ireland for the past 20, respectively 9 years, with a daughter born and bred here and a son in heaven. Although we were both raised in countries where summers can be really hot, it is only Alex who misses that aspect. But he misses it so much that he would move back to Greece in a heartbeat, he says. Me…I am not so sure. For starters, Greece is not my home country so the heart connections with the place are simply not there. There are also aspects that really put me off moving to Greece. There is Emma’s education in English and her being rewarded with a good work place here on account of her local education, a thing that never happened for me, since my degree was obtained in Romania. There is also the serious issue of a suitable occupation for me, …

Tips on surviving Blue Monday

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Blue Monday seems to be a popular theme today with articles published in the Telegraph and rumours in the Metro that Tesco is going to hand out fruit to improve the mood of its customers so I decided to do a take on the subject too. The not-so-scientific studies that lead to naming this particular Monday as the bluest in the whole year take into consideration the lack of good weather and the level of financial difficulty people find themselves mid-January, with bills pilling up and very little natural light to lift our mood. How do you make yourself feel better then? By working with your senses to create a holistic sense of well being for yourself, if you ask me! Sense of smell We all know that certain smells lead to certain moods so do remember the ones that make you feel better and use them in the house. Both hubby and I love coffee and there is nothing like the smell of freshly ground, good quality coffee to lift your mood on a …

Realistic plans and tools for getting fitter in 2016

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Since losing Georgie, I lost my zest for life and last year was all about pure and raw survival. All I managed to do, on a daily basis, was getting Emma up, dressed, fed and the house tidy; dinner cooked and myself washed. I had very little energy for self care due to not sleeping well at night and constant headaches during the day, all because of crippling grief and emotional pain. Due to the lack of motivation, which led to a crass lack of exercise and binging on comfort food on a regular basis, I started accumulating weight which in a year and a half ended up being almost two stones (10 kilos). Although this second Christmas was not easy by any means, it did feel a little bit more manageable as it was something I knew I would be able to survive, since I had done it in 2014. I also found myself wishing to decorate the house a bit more, not only to keep a sense of normality for Emma but for …